


new skin

by viivalkyrie



Series: For the Love of the Prideful [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Atem Gets A Body, Atem Won the Final Duel, Beginnings, If You Squint - Freeform, Love, M/M, One-Sided Revolutionshipping, Prideshipping, Songfic, Soul Room(s) (Yu-Gi-Oh), new body, reincarnated love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viivalkyrie/pseuds/viivalkyrie
Summary: Atem hears a song that sends him reeling through his memories.
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto
Series: For the Love of the Prideful [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1323869
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	new skin

"I got new love, new skin to wrap myself in

New lows, new sins to lose myself in

New heart, new limbs to bury myself in

New love, new skin"

It was a song on the radio, a very soft and simple song, but Atem lost sight of the world through the passenger side window. He tumbled back through his mind. The memories came, fresh and vibrant, but as if they were a collection of paintings haphazardly spread over the same canvas.

Through Yuugi’s eyes, he watched as Isis’ gaze observed them. But her mind was far, far away. The underground cavern had fallen into a dense quiet, the shouts and declarations of friendship and victory ringing out the last few echoes against the rock walls. It was difficult, but he buried his emotional state into a deep cavern of his mind, avoiding the wave that was threatening to crash over and drown him. He could sense - no, he could feel - Yuugi trembling, mind and body. 

“ _Aibou… are you alright?”_

Yuugi’s eyes screwed shut, and Atem felt his prickle of tears. The ancient spirit’s heart squeezed in guilt. 

_“Aibou, I’m…”_

“Don’t say you’re sorry.” He said it aloud, causing Yuugi-tachi, the Kaiba brothers, and the Ishtar family to all turn their heads towards him. Jii-chan’s rough palms were holding his shoulders. 

“Yuugi, by boy,” the old man sighed. “It was a fierce battle. You fought with everything you had.”

“No, no,” Yuugi wiped at his eyes. “I’m… _relieved._ ” He swallowed a sob. “Pharaoh - I’m not supposed to feel so relieved!”

 _“Yuugi, what on Earth do you mean?”_ Atem smiled, to make sure Yuugi could see it in his mind’s eye.

 _“_ I let you down!” he cried, struggling to stay on his feet with his buckling knees. “I’ve kept you away from your family, your friends from the time before! How can I be relieved when I’ve kept you from the people you love?!”

Atem felt the emotion he was trying to hold back swell from it’s dark place. As much as an extra soul within a foreign body could, he turned on it and shoved it back down. He worried Yuugi could feel this in him, and could sense he was purposefully hiding something. He tried to move forward in Yuugi’s consciousness, to give him more awareness of his presence, while still keeping half of his mind in the darkness.

_“Aibou… It was my choice. I am here with the people I love.”_

Yuugi wiped his eyes. Sadness weighed heavy on them both, but Atem tried to imagine himself hugging Yuugi fiercely.

Jii-chan squeezed his grandson’s trembling shoulders. “You’ve always been so hard on yourself, Yuugi.”

There was a loud shuffle of feet, and Jounouchi grabbed Yuugi’s shoulders from the front, yanking him into a fierce hug. There was another set of arms around him, lean and slender - Anzu. Honda was close behind, then Bakura and Otogi. 

Yuugi was swept with calm; the long breath he took was shaky, but his mind had stopped whirling with doubt. “Thanks, guys.” 

Yuugi’s eyes trailed over them, and caught a glimpse of Seto Kaiba between Jou and Anzu’s shoulders. The blue of his eyes, deep and endless like the ocean, were cruel at first glance. Through Yuugi’s gaze, Atem saw those blue eyes fill with confusion and anger. The elder Kaiba wasn’t looking at Yuugi, but his eyes threatened to make contact with the young boy’s face. Atem couldn’t have that happen. Not yet.

The former Pharaoh ducked into his intact soul room, knowing Yuugi would be startled by his disappearance. But at the very least, everything else would be safe.

He listened to the echoes of Yuugi-tachi's voices, comforting his partner, talking him through the loss despite the gain of him, an ancient soul long dead… kept in the living world. The idea of traversing the Earth through Yuugi’s eyes - maybe for decades, for a century longer - daunted him. Learning a new world 3,000 years past his time... his decision swirled in his mind. _Did I make a mistake?_

_“Pharaoh?”_

He jolted within his soul room, worried Yuugi heard the omission. He stood, heart hammering in his spectral body. He glanced around the cavern of his soul room, the upside down staircases and shadowy corners somehow welcoming to him.

“ _Pharaoh? Are you there?”_

He emerged from his door. _“Yes, I’m here, aibou.”_

Relief flooding their connection. “ _I_ _sis wants to speak with you.”_

Atem walked down the shared hall in their mind, following a path he’d walked a thousand times. He remembered each moment he’d sprinted down between those walls - at first when bullies and bastards attempted to harm or kill his host (there was a flickering image of Kaiba at this moment, his face distorted from the darkness once in his heart), which grew into a protective reaction when Yuugi got in over his head, to an invitation to battle when his partner asked for him. Eventually, Yuugi became more powerful than he, and yet the ancient soul was still the front line soldier in their battles against evil. That warmed Atem’s heart, knowing Yuugi had spent that time teaching him that magical power of kindness, all the while becoming stronger than Atem could have ever guessed.

When Atem felt the dim light of reality, he opened his eyes. He was in control of their body, his eyes fuzzy against the light of torches in the cavern. Isis’ form appeared first before him, her head bowed low.

“My Pharaoh.” She rose. “I welcome you to the living world.”

“Thank you, Isis.” He wasn’t sure if his voice quivered or not, but he didn’t spend the thought. “You needed to speak with me?”

She met his eyes. “You made a very serious choice with your victory.”

Atem swallowed uncomfortably. “Indeed. I chose to stay here, with my friends.”

Isis gave him a small smile, mysterious and knowing. Atem, again, swallowed down a pinch of fear.

“In this choice, you also know you might exist within Yuugi until his end.”

Atem nodded, noting Yuugi’s attention to his reaction. They both, independently as souls and together as one body, felt anxiety ripple through each limb. “I know this is a consequence of my choice, But,” Atem smiled as he looked around at Jii-chan and Yuugi-tachi. “I hope there’s enough room in here for both of us.”

Yuugi didn’t hesitate. _“Of course there is!”_ Atem mentally chuckled at him.

Isis reached out for his hands, taking them softly. “That may not be necessary.”

Everyone gasped. “What does that mean?!” Jou exclaimed.

“I believe there is a way to give you your own body.”

It was as if someone had poured ice down his back. He fretted that Yuugi could feel everything, but the boy in his mind stayed quiet. 

“How?” Anzu shouted.

“Isis!” Malik shouted. “That’s way too dangerous!”

“Will it hurt Yuugi?” Bakura asked. 

“Why is it dangerous?!” Honda said with alarm.

Isis held up her hands to calm the room, as Rishid walked behind her to give her some silent support. “It is not dangerous to Yuugi, and I take the smallest risk of us all.”

“Wh-what does that mean?” Anzu stammered. 

Jii-chan’s hand cradled his bearded chin as he examined the rock walls and the great stone tablet. “Atem is the most at risk.”

Isis sighed. “Yes.” 

Atem couldn’t discern what was bubbling in his chest, but he didn’t take the time to examine it. “What do I need to do?”

Isis laughed. “If it were that easy, I would have done it already.”

Yuugi was in the front of Atem’s mind. _“I don’t like this. Why is it dangerous to you?”_

Isis turned to face the stone tablet, approaching it slowly. It didn’t flash with light, but the Eye of Wadjet on the wall looked as if it were following her. Her long fingers reached for the tablet, a slight tremble in her reach. Malik rushed after her with a shout, but she made contact. The stone responded to her touch with a soft, golden glow. She smiled, her stormy eyes watering. 

She turned back to the group as Malik touched her shoulders. “Isis, please don’t risk this. You don’t know what could happen.”

“No, Malik. Listen…” She took his hand and placed it on the stone. Malik jolted, and his shoulders slumped as a look of disbelief ran over his face. He turned to the Pharaoh in the young boy’s body, eyes wide and full of wonder.

“What is it?” Atem found himself saying. The back of his neck prickled. Yuugi’s worry was palpable within their link. 

“Come, my Pharaoh,” Isis called. “I can do this for you.”

The memories of that impossibly long walk towards her blurred with the concerned shouts of Yuugi-tachi, of the strange fear that consumed him, and of the feeling rising from deep within the shadows of his soul room. He willed it to stay in place, to stay away from Yuugi’s mind. There was a flash of light, and the tablet rumbled, tuning out more shouts from his friends and loved ones. 

His heart squeezed at that thought. _Love… I am here, because of love._

Yuugi responded. _“We love you, Other Me. We are here for you.”_

Atem’s heart compressed and soared at once. He felt the fear and love whirl within him as the light grew brighter. He could feel Yuugi’s arms around him from within their connection. There was the faint feeling of Isis taking his hand, and suddenly he was ripped from Yuugi’s grasp. 

He heard his partner’s screams echo as the darkness took over him, suffocating and endless.

  
  
  


It was bright, too bright, and it was freezing cold. His eyes were open, but he saw nothing, felt nothing, nor could he stand. He knew he was in the unconscious world, as he’d lived for many months within the mind of a young boy. That boy who grew before his very eyes, as if in the cycle of one breath. He’d been living - could it be called this? - in the land between life and death for 3,000 years. It gave him a sense of comfort as he found his bearings. He was beyond the living world once again, much like the time he’d spend within the dissembled Puzzle. It was familiar… and yet, still strange. 

The light remained cold but it moved around him. He felt as if a great eye, a golden eye, was staring down, examining him. He heard the snarl of a dog and the cry of a falcon. These noises were familiar from The Time Before, in the living world of pyramids and pharaohs, but they did not belong in the strangeness of the in-between. He tried to see where these sounds came from, but the light was too bright.

There was a growl in the distance, and the sensation of falling overcame him. He felt his stomach lurch, and that was also new in the in-between. Being within the mind of the young boy removed the physical comforts and discomforts, so this sensation on its own was disorienting. He wrestled down the fear as the fall slowed, and he began to flutter like a feather in a breeze. The light whirled around him, but there was still no sign of the shadows. It took that moment to realize, to admit, that shadow brought him much more comfort than he would have ever admitted before. Shadow had ingrained within his soul, and it served a purpose. Shadow had moved within in, and been crushed out of others by him. He'd made enemies and friends with the shadows. 

The fall gradually softened until his back felt a force, immovable and firm. His shoulder blades and spine ached against the sensation. The realization hit him; he was lying down. He could feel the ground at his back. The light ceased its dance around him, and the bitter cold squeezed at his spectral form. He shivered, and felt the sensation ripple through him.

 _These are… bodily reactions._ He thought with a sense of terror. He was feeling things, and he was _alone._

He felt his throat twitch, and realized his tongue was in his mouth, licking the back of his teeth. He gasped, and air filled his lungs. The cold spread along his back, unyielding, and he cried out.

“Yuugi!”

It echoed, but not far enough. He took a deeper breath, and screamed. “YUUGI!!”

A thousand voices crashed against him, like a boulder that’d spent years tumbling down a hill. They thundered like gods from above, colliding against each other. The jumble of words made it impossible to discern what they were saying. He tried to scream over them. 

“YUUGI!”

His voice was swallowed by the great roar. The feeling of the cold against his back grew heavy. His head throbbed, his fingers were full of pins and needles. He felt the prick of tears, and swallowed a cry as the light pierced him. There was a moment of complete silence.  
  


He opened his eyes. He saw the tall, lean frame of someone he knew. It was the one from The Time Before. His heart soared.

_Seto._

_  
__  
  
_

“Yes, my Pharaoh?”

The memory of a hand on his. He peered up, and saw those eyes. Like the ocean. Comforting, and full of fierce love. 

Familiarity mixed with the unknown. Their voices combined, so similar but with a touch of change in their pitch. Their eyes, exactly the same color - _thank the gods, he still has those eyes_ \- overlapped perfectly. Their skin, one dark like his and the other pale like Yuugi’s, wrapped around two large hands, touched him. He knew the sensation within, but the flesh they caressed was new…

“Seto…” he whispered. 

There was a shift within him, as he saw the living one, the pale reincarnation of the one from The Time Before, stare at him. Those blue eyes rattled with surprise, with fear, with… relief.

Atem fell back into the unconscious world, but this time he knew it was to rest.

  
  
  


He woke up in a bed. It was one he’d watched someone sleep in for hundreds of nights but never once felt. There was a body near him, one he’d seen from this perspective before, but still seemed unfamiliar. It was not just that he could see that body, he could smell it and hear it. Those sensations hadn’t worked together since…

Atem jolted up from the bed, feeling the sheet scrape along his skin. He almost shouted in pain, but a moment later he realized it wasn’t pain. The body in the room - Yuugi - leapt out of his seat, dazed.

When they settled upon each other, both sets of eyes welled up in tears.

“You’re awake!” Yuugi cried, leaping on him. Atem shouted in pure terror, the sensations of Yuugi’s hands and sleeves of his shirt scratching along his bare arms. Yuugi stumbled back, terrified.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Pharaoh!”

Atem touched at his arms, checking if they were burnt. The feeling faded, and his skin was intact, unblemished, and…

“I’m…” He sucked in breaths, as if he couldn’t get enough air. “I’m... real.”

Yuugi approached again, much calmer this time, and knelt by what Atem realized was his own bed. “Yeah! Isis gave you a body… a real body.”

The room came into his view, and Atem saw the room he’d spent countless hours wandering in circles, just a lonely spirit in the night. He remembered wishing he could touch everything, play with the games littered on the small desk or open the books on the shelf. The skylight above showed the same stars Atem had watched pass over as Yuugi slept, and he could not. The room was dark, and he could only see Yuugi from the stream of moonlight.

“I…” Atem choked on his words. “I… I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming.”

Yuugi very, very slowly reached out and touched Atem’s outstretched hand. Though the ancient pharaoh flinched, the associated feeling spread something lighter through him. Yuugi squeezed lightly.

“This is very real, Pharaoh.” He jolted, as if he’d just remembered something. Then he smiled. “I mean, Atem.”

The name coursed through the new body, and the ancient soul felt the bonds of his name, his soul, to the physical form he’d been given. The feeling of Yuugi’s hand on his palm was so strong, the soft light of the moon was so bright, that Atem took a shuddering breath to calm his senses. He closed his eyes and brought his free hand to his head.

“I’m sorry I startled you; I was just so happy. You’ve been sleeping for a while.” Yuugi didn’t let go, but he adjusted himself to sit on the carpeted floor of his room. “Isis says you need to stay in bed and rest while your soul learns the new body. You’ll be sensitive to light and touch for a while, but she said it’ll pass and you’ll be feeling normal very soon.”

“Normal…” Atem chuckled against the assault of new sensations. “This is far from normal.”

Yuugi laughed lightly with him. “You haven’t had a body for 3,000 years, Atem. Give yourself some time to adjust.” He peered through his fingers, and Yuugi’s eyes were shining. “Can I get you anything?”

Atem dropped his hand to clasp over Yuugi’s as he closed his eyes for a moment. He breathed, feeling his lungs inside his chest expand and squeeze out the air of Yuugi’s room. He felt the beat of his heart, fast but slowing, and the prickles of his flesh against the sheet, against Yuugi’s palm, of the hair on his own scalp, as if he could feel it’s microscopic growth.

“How did she do this?”

Yuugi’s eyes glanced away. “I have no idea, but she did it so fast we all didn’t even realize what happened. I watched your soul room just… vanish. And then, there you were.” Yuugi laughed as he looked back up at the new member of the world. “Whatever it was, she did a great job. You look like you did in Egypt.”

Atem was relieved by this. He peered the dark color of his skin, seeing the heavy contrast between his and his partner’s hands. 

“I’m… overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say, or do, anything.” Yuugi stood and patted the former Pharaoh’s hand. “Everyone is here to take care of you.”

There was that lurch in Atem’s heart that he pushed down almost instinctively, before realizing the sounds in his mind were his, and his alone. “Our connection… It’s quiet.”

Yuugi smiled, despite a sadness in his eyes. “I don’t think it’s there anymore. But that’s a good thing, right?”

Guilt seized him, but Atem tried to smile back. “Your mind is all yours now.”

Yuugi shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you being there. But you’re here, this way, now. It’s more than I could ask for.”

Yuugi disappeared from the room with a soft goodnight and instructions to get some rest. Atem wanted to jump to his feet, to feel the wind on his face after such a time in the in-between. He wanted to walk and run and eat and drink for the first time, without the guilt of borrowed time. There was so much to see, to do, to explore. He wanted to hug Yuugi. He wanted to listen to music and play games. He wanted to duel, to touch the cards with his own fingertips and call the moves with his own voice. He wanted to… 

He stopped his thoughts from bucking too far from his control.

The blue of those eyes, from before and now, flooded his mind. Remembering the mind link he once shared with Yuugi - that young boy who released his soul from the in-between, the reason he was even here - was severed, he let that thought run its course.

Seto Kaiba’s face filled his mind, staring at him - the first person he gazed upon in a new body, with a new life. It dawned on the ancient Pharaoh. They’d battled side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and across the field. Seto Kaiba was the ultimate rival, gave his all, never backed down, and yet… Atem knew Seto Kaiba was a stranger to him. The tall CEO saw him open his eyes, after the cold light of the in-between faded and the warmth of the real world broke through, and said nothing to him. 

_Now, maybe I could…_

But he knew he couldn’t. 

_Not yet._

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote and edited one day. Songs are powerful muses! Inspired by:
> 
> new skin by VERITE  
> 


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